Sikh temple under construction in Westboro

Saturday

Aug 16, 2014 at 6:00 AMAug 16, 2014 at 10:08 AM

New England's oldest Sikh community is building a new temple on Flanders Road. The Milford temple has a core membership of about 200 families. "The inside prayer hall is crowded, especially on days when there are special services. And parking is a serious problem," said building committee member Sukhjinder Singh Bajwa.

By Elaine Thompson TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

WESTBORO — New England's oldest Sikh community is building a new temple on Flanders Road.

The 46-year-old New England Sikh Study Circle purchased the 37-acre parcel at 168 Flanders Road in 2012 with plans to replace a smaller temple that has been in use in Milford since 1991.

Construction on the two-story, 20,000-square-foot temple — which will be similar in design to a Greek church, having a flat building with a gold dome — began in March.

Sukhjinder Singh Bajwa, longtime member of the center's building committee, said the current contract with Waltham-based Vantage Builders Inc. is for the building shell to be completed and made weather-tight by the end of the year. Additional funds will be raised to finish the building by next summer, he said.

The temple will include a prayer hall, a community kitchen, classrooms, a library, conference rooms and a small two-bedroom apartment for the pastor and his family.

"I think people are very excited," Mr. Bajwa said in a recent interview.

The Sikh religion originated in India more than 500 years ago. The strictly monotheistic religion is formed on principles of Hinduism and Islam. It is the fifth most populous religion, with 23 million members worldwide, including half a million in the U.S.

Mr. Bajwa said the temple, which is also called a gurudwara, is open to everyone.

He said when NESSC was established in 1968, members would rent halls or churches in different areas for meetings on Sundays every three to four weeks. The group moved into a former Jehovah's Witness church at 224 East Main St. in Milford in 1991. The membership and needs of the group have outgrown that facility, which is about 8,000 square feet.

The Milford temple currently has a core membership of about 200 families and 70 to 75 parking spaces, Mr. Bajwa said.

"The inside prayer hall is crowded, especially on days when there are special services. And parking is a serious problem," he said. "We have to get a policeman on Route 16 to direct traffic and make arrangements with owners of (nearby) office buildings for permission to use their parking lots."

The rooms are also too small for the large enrollment of children in Sunday school, he added.

The new facility will be a central location for the majority of members, who live within a 20-mile radius of Westboro.

The larger facility will also allow temple members to be involved with interfaith activities. Chapel of the Cross Church is next door at 160 Flanders Road. Mr. Bajwa said temple members have already been in touch with members of a synagogue on Flanders Road.

Contact Elaine Thompson at elaine.thompson@telegram.com. Follow her on Twitter @EThompsonTG.

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